Incubator



. UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES DONALDSOIV, OF LAKE, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO HENRY NOGK, OF BAY VIEW, WISCONSIN.

INCUBATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 248,295, dated October 18, 1881.

Applicationfiled March 23, 1881. (N model.)

1' 0 all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES DONALDSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at the town of Lake, county ofMilwaukee, in the State 5 of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Incubators and Brooders; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appcrtains to make and use the same, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

I5 My invention relates to improvements in a combined incubator and brooder; and it consists in an apparatus for hatching the eggs in an artificially-heated nest or inclosure and an open platform, so arranged that the brood have free access to and from the platform to the nest.

My invention is further explained by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 represents aperspective view. Fig.

2 is a vertical section of the same. Fig. 3 represents a section of the egg-drawer.

Like parts are represented by the same referonce-letters throughout the several views.

A represents the exterior walls of the hatching apparatus. B is the interior wall. The 0 space between these walls is filled with a packing, 0, of charcoal, which surrounds the inte;

rior wall upon all sides.

D is the egg-drawer, which is supported upon cleats (l d, and provided with a glass window,

5 B, through which the indications of a thermometer may be observed within the drawer while closed and the eggs inspected. Handles b b are for withdrawing the drawer. The bottom of the drawer is formed of sheet metal,

zinc being preferred, which is provided with small perforations d, and is covered with felt or other soft t'abric,E, upon which the eggs to be hatched are placed.

F F Fare cold-water tanks, the office of which is to supply the required moisture.

G and H are ventilating-tubes, which communicate from the central part of the incubator to the exterior air.

Heretofore it has been common to supply the required heat from lamps, stoves, 850., which are placed in direct contact with the incubator- By my improvement the required temperature is attained by filling a tank or reservoir from time to time with hot water which has previously been heated apart from the incubator, an 5 5 ordinary stove and tea-kettle serving well for the purpose.

I represents the reservoir, which is divided into two compartments, J and K. The reservoir being first filled, the required moderate temperature is maintained by drawing off from time to time a small quantity of the cooled water and replacing the same with hot water. That the eggs be not destroyed by too great heat, the hot water is first admitted to the upper compartment of the reservoir, to which it is conducted by the funnel L, the cooler water being first withdrawn through the faucet M. The water thus introduced to the upper compartment mingles with the cooler water, and is thereby reduced to the desired temperature before entering the lower compartment of the reservoir, into which it passes through the passage m as the water from below is drawn oft through the faucet. The charcoal packing serves to purify the incubator and retain the heat. Water is added from time to time, as mentioned, until the eggs are hatched, when the brood is moved from the drawer and placed in the nest or brooder N, which is located directly above the hot-water reservoir I, and is kept warm by the heat which escapes from the water therein.

The brooder N consists in the inclosure formed by the cloth curtains P P P P, which are suspended at the respective corners from posts It It R R. The bottom is formed of cloth orfeltW,which restsupon the charcoahthrough which the heatfrom thereservoirreadily passes. The whole is provided with a closely-fitting 0 cover, 0, (represented by dotted lines.) A broad open platform, S, surrounds the nest or brooder, upon which the chickens are at liberty to go at will by passing beneath the cloth P, as in dicated. The margin of the platform is pro 5 vided with a low lattice fence or railing, T, by which the chickens are prevented from escaping therefrom. It is obvious that, by this ar rangement the chickens may be fed and exposed to the sun upon the platform when deme sired, while they can find shelter from cold, without the aid of an attendant, within the brooder N, while the heated water in the reservoir I serves the twofold purpose of providing 5 heat for one brood while it is hatching another. Heretofore it has been common to apply the heated water beneath the eggs, in which case it dissipates the required moisture. The eggs are more liable to become too hot, and a large 10 percentage of them become spoiled, while I have found by numerous experiments that a much larger percentage of the eggs are hatched when the heated water is introduced above the eggs and the required moisture is supplied 15 from below.

JAMES DONALDSON.

Witnesses:

J AS. B. ERWIN, H. E. SWAIN. 

